Rectal treatment seat for dispensing liquids in response to a patient&#39;s body weight



June 28, 1966 H. GOODMAN 3,258,011

RECTAL TREATMENT SEAT FOR DISPENSING LIQUIDS IN RESPONSE TO A PATIENT'S BODY WEIGHT Filed Aug. 27, 1965 INVENTOR. HERBERT GOODMAN BY gag ATTORNEY United States Patent Filed Aug. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 304,921 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-'260) This invention relates to a seat. More particularly it relates to a seat useful in the treatment or relief of rectal distress, particularly hemorrhoids. It relates to a seat by means of which the sufferer may gain the desirable soothing and cleansing action of warm water in an easy and acceptable way.

It is commonly known part of the continuing treatment of certain rectal disorders, particularly hemorrhoids, to flush the affected parts with warm water, for cleansing and soothing purposes and perhaps other therapeutic reasons as Well. It is normally an inconvenient and more or less unpleasant task, and even though a continued program of this type of flushing is desirable, patients may not conform. The use of the seat of this invention renders easier the carrying out of the flushing or sanitary program with consequent more diligent attention to it and consequent improvement in the general course of treatment.

It is an object of this invention to provide a treatment seat.

It is an object of this invention to provide a treatment seat useful in the care of rectal disorders by providing a flush of water.

It is another object of this invention to provide a resilient, porous seat equipped with a well.

Other aims and objects of this invention are made apparent in the following specification and claims.

The invention is best understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the seat; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

The seat is generally designated 10. In the embodiment shown, it comprises a sponge disc 12, whose outer circumference is covered with a water impermeable covering 15. Opening from the upper surface of the sponge disc 12 is a well 12A, whose purpose and structure is described in more detail below.

The sponge disc 12 may typically and preferably be about ten inches in diameter and about four inches high. The well 12A is typically and preferably about two inches in diameter and has walls which taper outwardly as they descend. A typical and preferable depth of the well 12A is about three inches, and a typical and preferable diameter of the bottom of the well is about three inches.

The seat is normally used as follows: The user places the seat of this invention on a stool or similar structure, which in turn is located in a bath tub or in a shower. A quantity of water, preferably warm, is poured onto the top of the treatment seat and at the same time into the well 12A filling or partially filling the well. The user then sits on the seat, and the pressure of his body forces water into the rectal area from the well and from the material of the sponge disc 12. The user normally remains in this position for a period of time, severalminutes or longer, and during this time the desirable soothing and cleansing action continues.

3,258,011 Patented June 28, 1966 The material of the sponge disc 12, which may also be referred to as a sponge body, may vary widely within the scope of this invention. It may be any natural or synthetic resilient water retaining material, such as natural or artificial sponge, sponge rubber, open or closed cell neoprene foam rubber or similar materials. The water impermeable covering 15 described above may be any known water barrier material, such as sheet plastic including polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and similar materials. It may be sheet rubber or rubberized fabric or materials similar to these in nature. It has been found not necessary to provide the water impermeable covering on the bottom or upper surface of the disc 12, since the buttocks of the user satisfactorily seal the top surface, and the stool or other surface on which the seat rests satisfactorily seals the bottom surface. This is particularly true since there is no necessity of strict sealing.

It is preferable to omit top and bottom impermeable coverings, since the drying out of the seat between uses is thus enhanced, but of course it is understood that waterproof coverings could be placed on the top and bottom without departing from the spirit of the invention. There are other variations that can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the dimensions can vary within wide limits while still retaining the utility of the seat. The circular configuration of the seat 10 as shown, while convenient, is not essential, and other configurations can be used. It is also an alternate embodiment to locate the center line of well 12A at a point removed from the center of disc 12. That is, the well may be located off-center to more exactly conform to the users anatomy. This is so because it is desirable to have the well positioned below the rectum. For the dimensions described above, an off-centering of the well of about one inch is satisfactory.

It is also possible to include medication with the.

warm water, in accord with prescribed practices. For example, mild solutions of antiseptic preparations such as are well known in the art.

The scope of this invention is to be determined by the appended claims, and is not intended to be limited by the foregoing description and drawings which are illustrative.

I claim:

1. A treatment seat for rectal disorders adapted to rest on a fiat surface and to receive the buttocks of a user comprising a resilient porous body having a substantially flat lower surfaceand a substantially fiat upper surface, and having a side completely around said body and intersecting said lower and upper surfaces, only said side being completely covered to said intersections of said upper and lower surfaces with a water impermeable covering, said upper and lower surfaces having no impermeable covering, only one well in said body, said well opening to and interrupting said flat upper surface and terminating above said lower surface and having a side wall tapering inwardly toward said upper surface of said body, whereby pressure of said buttocks seals both said lower surface and said upper surface except for said well, and said well acts as a reservoir for liquid and as a nozzle directing said liquid into the rectal area when said pressure of said buttocks is applied.

2. A treatment seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said body is a disc of substantially circular horizontal configuration and having a vertical center line and said well has a substantially circular horizontal configuration and has a vertical center line, said vertical center line of said well being displaced from said vertical center line of said body disc, whereby when said buttocks of 1,992,648 2/1935 Browne 128-260 the user are placed on said seat on a sealing relationship, 2,619,653 12/1952 Young 128-296 X said well is positioned directly beneath said rectal area. 2388016 5/1959 Delamater References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,553,775 9/1925 Hertz. 1,660,729 2/19'28 Strock 15244 5 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TREATMENT SEAT FOR RECTAL DISORDERS ADAPTED TO REST ON A FLAT SURFACE AND TO RECEIVE THE BUTTOCKS OF A USER COMPRISING A RESILIENT POROUS BODY HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT LOWER SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT UPPER SURFACE, AND HAVING A SIDE COMPLETELY AROUND SAID BODY AND INTERSECTING SAID LOWER AND UPPER SURFACES, ONLY SAID SIDE BEING COMPLETELY COVERED TO SAID INTERSECTIONS OF SAID UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES WITH A WATER IMPERMEABLE COVERING, SAID UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES HAVING NO IMPERMEABLE COVERING, ONLY ONE WELL IN SAID BODY, SAID 